 MS Victoria I departing in Tallinn
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Estonia | |
| Name | Victoria I |
| Owner | Tallink |
| Operator | Tallink |
| Port of registry | Tallinn,  Estonia |
| Route | Tallinn–Mariehamn–Stockholm |
| Ordered | 15 October 2002 |
| Builder | Aker Finnyards, Rauma, Finland |
| Yard number | 434 |
| Laid down | 11 March 2003 |
| Launched | 16 October 2003 |
| Acquired | 9 March 2004 |
| In service | 21 March 2004 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics [1][2] | |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 192.9 m (633 ft) |
| Beam | 29 m (95 ft) |
| Draught | 6.5 m (21 ft) |
| Decks | 12 |
| Ice class | 1 A Super |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Notes | Sister ship to MS Romantika |
MS Victoria I [3] is a cruiseferry owned by AS Tallink Grupp. It was chartered by the Scottish Government to provide temporary accommodation to those fleeing the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The vessel was docked in the port of Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The ship, which was chartered until July 2023, had been providing people with accommodation until they secure somewhere to stay longer term.[4] It took in its first Ukrainian residents in July 2022.[5][6]
On 1 August 2023 Victoria I arrived back in her home port at Tallinn and currently the vessel on service between Tallinn and Helsinki starting from 12 October.[7]
The Victoria I was formerly on a route connecting Stockholm, Sweden to Tallinn, Estonia via Mariehamn, Finland. She was built in 2004 by Aker Finnyards, Rauma. Although the ship's official name is Victoria I, she is often referred to as Victoria, without the number. This is also the name displayed on top of her superstructure, whereas the name is written in full form on the hull.
Between 18 and 20 November 2005, the Victoria I made two one-day cruises from Helsinki to Tallinn, the latter of which was a re-election campaign cruise for the Finnish president Tarja Halonen. The use of an Estonian-flagged ship by the president provoked protests from the Finnish Seamen's Union.
Victoria's sister ship, the ferry Romantika was chartered by Holland Norway Lines to operate a route between Kristiansand in Norway and Eemshaven in Netherlands.[8]
- ^ "Victoria I technical info". Tallink.
- ^ "Victoria I technical info 2". Valkeatlaivat (in Finnish).
- ^ "Victoria I technical aspects". Valkeatlaivat. (in Finnish). 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Council says cruise ship would be 'floating prison' for asylum seekers". BBC News. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ "Super sponsor scheme paused". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
- ^ "War in Ukraine: First refugees welcomed aboard Leith cruise ship without proper checks, critics warn". www.scotsman.com. 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
- ^ "Tallink ferry returns after hosting Scotland's Ukrainian refugees". August 2023.
- ^ "Tallink Grupp to charter out vessel Romantika from March 2022 for at least three years". Tallink. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2023.